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Energy price controller for heat pumps

The price of electricity changes every hour. More and more, end users can opt for an energy contract based on hourly pricing. Saint Trofee plans to create a heat pump controller suited for such contracts.

This control will minimise energy costs, rather than just lower energy consumption. It takes into account “day ahead” energy prices and the local outdoor temperature forecast. Moreover, it learns to know the thermal characteristics of the house in which the heat pump is situated. These characteristics are important to provide optimal thermal comfort when using slow heating systems such as floor heating.

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Saint Trofee builds R290 (propane) heat pumps

We believe in heat pumps with natural refrigerants. Propane (R290) is an excellent refrigerant. It has an extremely low contribution to Greenhouse Warming, much unlike other – chemical – refrigerants. Propane is flammable, but the quantities we use in domestic heat pumps are quite small.

The first propane heat pump we built in 2017 was a 4 kW booster heat pump. It contains just 150 grams of propane. It uses a single speed scroll compressor, and an internal heat exchanger for improved efficiency.

The second propane heat pump we have built is a 9 kW air to water model. This model contains 750 grams of propane. It has a variable speed scroll compressor, and an internal heat exchanger. The most remarkable item however is the microchannel evaporator which is used to minimize the propane charge. This heat pump was completed in 2019.